This charge could then be harnessed and used to power devices such as mobiles, tablets and laptops.

Lead researcher Julea Butt, from the UEA's schools of chemistry and biological sciences, said: "These bacteria can generate electricity in the right environment.

"This is an exciting advance in our understanding of how some bacterial species move electrons from the inside to the outside of a cell and helps us understand their behaviour as robust electron transfer modules.

"We hope that understanding how this natural process works will inspire the design of bespoke proteins which will underpin microbial fuel cells for sustainable energy production."